The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for cleaning window blinds which have a plurality of parallel, spaced slats, and more particularly with cleaning mini blinds.
Before the present invention, those in the art of cleaning mini blinds chose to place the mini blind in its completely extended position within a deep tank of a detergent solution in which ultrasonic waves were transmitted in an attempt to loosen the dirt, dust, oil and greases normally found on mini blinds after they have been installed for even a short time. The ultrasonic bath technique has several disadvantages. First, and most importantly, it does not satisfactorily clean the slats of the dirt, dust, oils and greases which attach themselves to the slats electrostatically, mechanically and by adhesion to the oil and grease deposits. Second, ultrasonic bath apparatus are very expensive to produce, and because of the deep tanks necessary to receive completely extended mini blinds, such apparatus mobile. Thus, those wishing to have their mini blinds cleaned must remove them from their mountings, transport them to the ultrasonic bath (usually centrally located within a store selling mini blinds), and take the risk of damaging the mini blinds as well as incurring the inconvenience of assembling and disassembling the mini blinds from their mountings.
In order to make the ultrasonic cleaning apparatus mobile, some have made a shallow tank and place the mini blind in the tank with its slats drawn together. However, this method and apparatus gives inferior results because the ultrasonic waves cannot properly reach between the slats to loosen and remove the dirt.
The prior art ultrasonic bath apparatus and techniques which are capable of obtaining reasonable results teach to clean the mini blind while it is completely extended. Obviously, the prior art believed that by extending the mini blind, the surfaces of the individual slats may be better exposed to the detergent solution and the ultrasonic waves. Since mini blinds become noticeably soiled very quickly, it is practically impossible to properly clean a mini blind by hand, and since the ultrasonic bath inventions of the prior art are so expensive, it can be seen that the best the prior art had to offer was the ultrasonic bath invention.
However, the present invention cleans mini blinds under an entirely new approach which cleans the mini blinds significantly better than the best of the prior art inventions, costs much less to produce the apparatus, allows the apparatus to be made mobile so that it may be installed in a truck and moved to the locations of the mini blinds, and significantly lessens the time necessary to clean a mini blind.